Midland fertility expert Dr Gillian Lockwood yesterday defended a woman's right to become a mother at any age, after a 62-year-old caused controversy by giving birth to a new son using a donor egg.

"Today's women in their 50s or 60s are living longer," she explained, "and I am influenced by the fact my mother was brought up by her grandmother because her mother died when she was little."

She stressed donor eggs were a precious commodity, saying decisions on who could receive them should only be made by looking at the merits of each individual case.

"I'd be more sympathetic to a 35-year-old woman than someone in their 60s who has already had a family," she continued, "but this decision can't be down to something as arbitrary as the date on a birth certificate." ..SUPL: